In Service of the Light
by LightsRetribution
Summary: A young Paladin out of Hearthglen is going on her first mission when things don't turn out like expected and she's plunged into a world she's not ready for. WIP.


_Soon after the emergence of Deathwing, Hearthglen's leadership falls back into Tirion Fordring's hands. There he trains new recruits for the Argent Crusade, amongst those recruits is a young but eager cleric named Danthy._

The cold mountain air rolled through the valley town, catching under the young Human's blouse, she shivers and brings her arms close to her stomach. The higher ups usually wake the recruits up at sun-up, but today Danthy was awake just as the night sky was just starting to lighten. She paced briskly along the paths of Heathglen, taking note to only step on the stones and not any cracks. She was nervous, today was it, the day she'd get her first real combat mission.

"It's only simple gnolls, why am I so nervous?" She muttered to herself. "I am to simply walk in, slash my sword, and hope to the light they don't get the chance to swipe back."

She slipped on a stone, stumbling forward slightly, but not falling. "Damn it!" She cursed, then continued pacing.

"You do know that stepping on a crack will snap your mother's wrist, correct?" A heavily-accented voice from nearby said, yawning slightly before clomping over to Danthy.

"Bala! Did I wake you?" Danthy replied.

The Draenei grinned,"Well it is not as if you were all that quiet, muttering to yourself as if you were some Twilight Cultist." At this the Human frowned.

"I apologize for being nervous, but do you not know that stepping on a crack doesn't break wrists, it breaks backs!" She paused, "Oh no! My mother is crying for help! I must go save her!"

Bala quickly responded, "What do you mean? Did your mother's back break?!" The Human side-eyed Bala, who responded with a simple sigh.

"I do not understand your strange humor at times Danthy… But enough of that, I also retreated from the barracks in an attempt at what you call 'fresh air'."

Danthy shivered once more, "I wish they had an Inn out here, I've been really pining for some nice ale."

Bala removed her cloak and wrapped it around the human, who gratefully nodded at the Draenei.

"I know of a location nearby which looks beautiful when the sun rises." Bala suggested, noting the slight orange tint coming from over the mountains.

The two snuck past the officer's quarters of the barracks, Bala leading Danthy to the mountain wall along the back of the barracks.

"Over here, there is a rope we can use to guide ourselves along the sides of the mountain." They found the rope and proceeded to climb the steep mountain side, going up at a decent pace until they reached the top.

Bala had reached the top several minutes before Danthy did, already laying out her spare blanket across a flat, grassy section of the mountain tops.

"There..." Bala pointed off in the direction of the skyline where the sun began to peek out, covering the hills and mountains nearby in early morning orange light. Danthy looked out and was in awe at the vastness of the Eastern Kingdoms.

"You know," Bala began, "back on Draenor, I...never knew the touch of a man...or woman."

At this Danthy rose an eyebrow questioningly, Bala continued, "I...never had such luxuries.I grew up in a dark world of pain and suffering and out of it all I lost much more than I can ever gain. Friends, Family, my Home."

Danthy's expression softened, "I see, so what made you decide to join the Argent Crusade? What made you decide to deal with similar pain?"

Bala looked back up into Danthy's eyes, her own slightly tearing up, "So I can fight for my home. So I can try to prevent the same atrocity from befalling my new home."

Danthy just looked down into her hands, realizing soon after that she was crying. Was she crying because of the sorrow of Bala's people? The beautiful sun rising in the distance? She looked back up and at Bala.

"And….and what if we succeeed?" Danthy asks, making the Draenei look into her eyes.

"What if we succeed? What if..." she paused, realizing what she was trying to say, "what if we destroy the burning legion...if we defeat Sargeras?"

The two of them seemed shocked, as though they had never considered the notion that Azeroth could once and for all defeat the Legion.

Bala seemed to be trying to comprehend, she'd never thought of her life past justice for her people…

"I would...like to stay then...with you." the Draenei stated slowly and quietly.

Danthy looked over at her friend. She'd never considered the chance of finding romance or love in a place such as Hearthglen…much less with a female Draenei.

Danthy grew up in a farm in what is now called the Plaguelands, her family never told her of the joy of love or fairy tales of princes and princesses.

"Danthy?" Bala tilted her head slightly.

Suddenly the loud dinging of the town bell signaled time for the recruits to wake…


End file.
